João Pedro’s injury-time penalty secured a dramatic 2-1 victory for Brighton over Fulham at the Amex, propelling Fabian Hurzeler’s side into sixth place in the Premier League.
As the game seemed to be winding down, substitute Harrison Reed fouled Pedro near the byline, tripping him as the forward seized possession. Referee Sam Barrott had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Pedro kept his composure and, despite Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno diving the right way and getting a hand to the ball, he expertly converted the penalty, securing Brighton’s fourth consecutive Premier League win for the first time in nearly 44 years.
Both teams had come into the match in strong form, but for much of the contest, they were evenly matched, with neither side able to gain the upper hand under the south-coast sunshine.
Fulham took the lead in the 20th minute, with Alex Iwobi and Raul Jiménez combining to create a well-worked goal. Iwobi made an impressive 60-yard run down the right flank before delivering a pinpoint cross that Jiménez skillfully chested down, then fired low past Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen at his near post. However, the lead lasted less than six minutes. Brighton responded through Jan Paul van Hecke, who scored his first goal for the club by rising above the Fulham defence to head home Yasin Ayari’s looping free-kick while the visitors’ defence appeared to lose concentration.
The second half was more cagey, with both sides struggling to break each other down. The best chance to take the lead came from Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, who finished a well-crafted team move by tapping in at the far post, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside as Yankuba Minteh was caught offside after being released by Pedro.
That all changed in injury time, though, as Pedro’s penalty sealed the win. The result moved Brighton level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea, although they have now played one game more than their London rivals. Fulham, meanwhile, remain in ninth place.
